Continuous receptacle for electrical utility plugs



July w, 1937. R E. QUANSTROM 2,057,004

CONTNUOUS RECEPTACLE FOR ELECTRICAL U'IIL'J'Fl PLUGS Filed April 8, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 .,Buy m3419137., R. E. QUANSTROM CONTINUOUS RECEPTAGLE `FOB. ELECTRICAL UTILITY PLUGS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 8, 1935 fig H- oooooooWooo oooooo A 55m/Weg.

Patented' July 1 3, i937 CONTINUOIS PATENT OFFICE RECEPTACLE ForI ELECTRI- v AL U'rmrry PLUGS Roy E. Quanstrom, Inglewood, Calif.

Application April 8, 1933, Serial No. 665,106

' 3 Claims.

VMy invention relates to improvements in electrical'utility-plug receptacles which are ordinarily used in connecting portable light andappliance plugs to electrical circuits. The objects of my improvements are, first, to provide a receptacle of such unobstrusive appearance as to permit its harmonious use in any decorative scheme of a room; second, to make it easily possibleto supply an adequate number of connecting points for elec-u trical appliances in a rcom so that temporary and unsafe multi-tap plugs need not be used. Multi-tap rplugs frequently cause ordinary stationary orsliding receptacles to be overloaded and this overloading constitutes a serious fire hazard which is -minimized by my invention. Third, a further object is the elimination of long' unsafe attachment cords, with their attendant re hazards by providinga truly convenient attachment point wherever alight or appliance 20 is most likely to be used, namely, along any of the walls. Fourth, a further object is to encourage the installation of anadequate number of utilityplug connecting points in both new and old buildings by making one device accomplish the pur- 25 pose of several separate devices.

1 attainthese objects by devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings,- in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of the receptac'le with one end showing section; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the sliding panelwhich is 30 the?V main feature of the invention; Figure 3 is a lcngitudinal section of the receptacle on line 8-8 Fig. 7; Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of one end of the receptacle on line 9--9 Fig. 1; 35 Figure 5 is a view -of one side of the receptacle with a wall and adjacent insulation cut away; 9 Figure 6 is a longitudinal section of the receptacle on line 9 9 Fig. 1, showing the plug inserted; Figure 'l isa vertical transverse section on line Ill-IIJ Fig. l;` Figure 8 isthe sliding y panel used in the second form of the invention; Figure 9 is a linking panel used only in the second form of my invention; Figure 10 is an elevation of one'end 0f the second form of the re- 45 ceptacle; Figure l1 is a section on line I8-I8 Fig. 12; and Figure 12 is a vertical transverse section on line J|1441 Fig. 11.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.;

50 The main housing 5 of formed channelshown in section in Fig. 7. It is designed in lengths convenient for installation along the baseboard and ilush with plaster line of a room. The inside of said housing is-lined 55 with one piece of flexible sheet insulationll. Im-

the receptacle. is al v(Cl. 247-3) mediately above and along the bottom of A:said in sulation 4 is an additional strip of insulation 3 Which I prefer to specify as being of hard phenol compound. Next above said insulating strip 3, is the main insulating body 2 which is seen in transverse section in Fig. '7, and in longitudinal horizontal section in Fig. 4. This insulator body 2 is preferably die-formed of phenol compound with a series of recesses along 'the center line equidistantly` spaced substantially as shown in Figs. 3 and-4. Or, said recesses may be arranged in groups near the ends of panels I, where said panels l are of considerable length. `Contained within said recesses are contact clips 6 of any .conventional form, the preferredform lbeing 15 shown in transverse section in Figs. 4 and 6. Said contact clips B are connected by riveting and/or soldering to the busbars 'I-'I in the manner shown in Figs. 3, 5,and 7, where adjacent clips are of opposite electrical polarity. Thus any 2O two adjacent clipsl may be plugged into and a I circuit will be Obtained. Bus-bars 'I-'I are disposed in longitudinal recesses along each side of said insulating body 2 as shown in Figs. 1, 3; 5, and '7. Connection to thecircuit feed wires is 25 made by means of terminal screws on the end of said bus-bars l, as shown in Fig. 4.

Above said insulating body 2 are sliding panels I which are also preferably of phenol-plastic compound. .Panels I may be of any practical V I-I until there is sufficient room between them for the plug contact blades' as is evident in Fig. 6. Said panels I are held in place between the inwardly formed edges of said channel housing `5 and said insulator body 2. All these partsv are suiciently loose that said panels I may'easily 40 slide.- The notch in each end of said panel I is an essential feature of panel I 'when it is used with the particular form of receptaclehereinbefore`described. The depth of saidnotch must be at least one-half the thickness of the contact bayonet blades of the plug in order that the cen- A ter of said contact clips 6 always be coincidentwith the endy of a panel I. Said notch may be additionally` deformed to accommodate other blade placements of a plug. I prefer to bevel k v .said notch to assist insertion ofthe plug contact l blade. The total number of said panels -is determined by the length of the receptacle minus `the total spacing of the number of plugs to be connected. Said remaining distance is divided by 55.

the length of said panel I to find the number of said panels I which is required. The space occupied by each plug is taken as the distance between 'the centers of the two contact blades. 5 Thus a given number of plugs may be connected in a group near 'any point along the receptacle or, they may be spread out each to any desired location along the receptacle. But, the number oi plugs which may at one time be directly connected to the receptacle cannot exceed the number of full spaces provided.

The plug-in spaces provided along one wall may be made available along another wall, which wall is at any angle to the first by including lwithin t l5 the corner-piece I6 Fig. 11l a short flexible cable 26. Said cable -26 is attached to the nearest movu able panels I, or II, at the adjacent ends of the two receptacles. Said cable 26 is surrounded by a close tting tube 2l which is anchored securely at each end in said corner piece I6. The two panels nearest each other in the two receptacles thus move as a unit. In the second form of the receptacle the bar 20 is eliminated when this cable feature is employed. Figure 10 is a perspective view of sliding panel I I of insulating material which is used in another form of the continuous receptacle. Said panel II performs the same function in the assembly shown in Fig. 10, as does panel I in the assembly in Fig. 1. Instead of one row of similar contact clips, this second assembly uses two rows of contact clim I5-I5 shown in transverse section in Fig. 12 and in longitudinal section in Fig. l1. .Each of these rows of clips I5 is formed of one strip of sheet spring-brass or bronze substantially as shown in Figs. 11 and 12.V The ilexible portion of clip I5 is divided into narrow strips as shown in Fig. 11. This allows the easy insertion of the bayonet con- 40 tact blades and also makes amore perfect conl tact therewith. I prefer to punch upsets in clip I5 which will engage with the hole found in the contact blades of most plugs. Each of said clips I5 is connected to the feed Acircuit'. wires by terminal screws as shown in Fig. 11. SaidI clips I5 are insulated rornthe channel housing I3 by a flexible sheet insulation I4.

' Between said clips I 5 and insulated therefrom by insulation I4 is a formed channel I6. This channel I6 serves to hold said clips I5 in position and also as an ordinary conduit for carrying extra wires. -Said panels II and sub-panels I2 lslide in a groove formed in the same manner as hereinbefore described for panels I in Fig. 1. The boss 22 on the underside of panel II engages pocket 23 in sub-panel I2. Said panels II-II are thereby prevented from sliding apart to a greater dlstance than the width of the contact blades of a plug as illustrated in Figs, 10 vand 11. sub-panels I2, I prefer to form the slots 24-24 with bevelededges to facilitate insertion of the contact blades. The bevel on the ends of panel II also assist insertion of the blades.A 'I'he number of plugs which maybe inserted in a given continuous-receptacle depends on the number of full width spaces'leit between the panels when nally assembled. A full width is taken'as the Width of the contact blades. The number of spaces so made available is iixed by local building ordinances. l

In said Panel I9 is not movable but is attached to the corner-piece I6 and is furnished extra long so it may be cut oil to proper length permitting proper alignment of the first panel II at time of installation. Part zis a bar secured by screw 2| which screw is located on panel I9 at time of installation. Said bar 20 serves the same purpose as boss 22 on panel II. V

These receptacles are ordinarily installed as acontinuous element in the walls of a. room and immediately above the base-board line as is evident in Fig. 12. The main channel-housings '5 and I3 are secured to the wall by flat-head screws as shown in Fig. 11.v The use of a relatively short section of this receptacle along a wall does not change its purpose.

I'claim:

-1. An electrical receptacle of the class described, comprising, an elongated channel body of insulating material, elongated electrical conductors mounted within the channel body, contact means spaced at a plurality of points along the conductors to receive the prongs of an attachment plug through the open side of the channel body, a plurality of longitudinally slidable covers for the open side of the channel body the spacing between the contiguous cover ends being such as to permit the insertion of a predetermined number of plugs at any selected points along the body, but positively preventing the insertion of more than the predetermined number of plugs. l l

2. An electrical receptacle of the class described, comprising, an elongated channel body of `insulating material, elongated electrical conductors mounted within the channel body, contact means spaced at a plurality of points along the conductors to receive the prongs of an attachment plug through the open side of the channel body, a. plurality of longitudinally slidable covers for the open side of the channel body the spacing between the contiguous cover ends being such as to permit the insertion of a. predetermined number oi' plugs at any selected points along. the body, but positively preventing the insertion of more than the predetermined number of plugs, and slidable subcovers coactlng with bosses on said covers to prevent the contiguous ends of the covers from separating farther than the width of a pair of contact prongs.

3. An electrical receptacle of the class described; comprising, an elongated channel body of insulating material, elongated electrical conductors mounted within the channel body, a plurality of longitudinally slidable covers for the open side of the channel body the spacing between the contiguous cover ends being such as to permit the insertion of a predetermined number Voi' plugs at any selected points along the body, but positively preventing the insertion of more than the predetermined number of plugs,

'and attached to the end cover a wire slidably confined within a tube and its remaining end attached to an end cover plate of a duplicate associated receptacle causingvthe sliding motion of one end cover to be transmitted to its associated end cover thereby permitting the plug access restriction of one receptacle to be trans- Ierred to an associated receptacle.

ROY E. QUANSTROM. 

